cruciata

Forms

cruciāta f (genitive cruciātae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Medieval Latin cruciātus (“marked with a cross”), its feminine used as a noun.^[2] The MLW derives the adjective from crux (“cross”) and compares Italian crociato and French croisé.^[2] Etymonline and Köbler take it from cruciō instead, Etymonline in the sense “to mark with a cross”.^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest instance the MLW gives is in the Annals of Piacenza under the year 1270, in a passage on a pact made with the king of Tunis and the Saracens.^[2] Köbler dates its first record to annals of the 12th or 13th century.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It is the medieval word for a crusade,^[5][6][2] also spelt cruxata, crosata, crusata and crucita.^[2][4] In Hungary and Poland it was used in the 15th and 16th centuries of crusades against the Turks and other enemies, of the money collected for them and of the authority to proclaim one;^[7][8] the DMLBS has the masculine cruciatus with the same sense in 1383.^[9] Bohemian and Polish sources also use it as a plant name, for woodruff and groundsel.^[10][8]

French croisade and Spanish cruzada, both from it, are the source of English crusade.^[3]

Timeline

• 1270 – The Annals of Piacenza speak of a crusade (cruxata).^[2]
• 1475 – A Sopron document mentions crusade money collected against the Turks.^[7]
• 1514 – A Hungarian document empowers a bishop to proclaim the crusade.^[7]
• 1570s – English borrows French croisade, later respelt crusade.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A crusade.^[5][6][2][1]
2. (Medieval Latin) Money levied for a crusade.^[7][8]
3. (Medieval Latin) The authority to proclaim a crusade.^[8]
4. (Medieval Latin) A plant name: woodruff or groundsel.^[10][8]

Related words

• crux
• crucio
• English crusade

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ a b c d Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
8. ^ a b c d e Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
9. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
10. ^ a b Latinitatis medii aevi lexicon Bohemorum / Slovník středověké latiny v českých zemích (1977–), Prague: Academia; electronic version, Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences